Hiram Bingham
- Early Explorer of Early South American People, Early
Aviator, Connecticut Governor and Senator

"BINGHAM, Hiram, a Senator from Connecticut;
born in Honolulu, Hawaii, November 19, 1875.

He was educated at Punahou School and Oahu
College, Hawaii, 1882-1892, Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., 1892-1894,
Yale University 1894-1898, University of California at Berkeley 1899-1900,
and Harvard University 1900-1905; taught history at Harvard University
1902-1905, history and politics at Princeton University in 1905 and 1906,
and history of South America at Yale University 1907-1917.

In 1906 and 1907 explored Bolivar's route across
Venezuela and Colombia, and, in 1908 and 1909, the Spanish trade route
from Buenos Aires to Lima; United States Government delegate to the First
Pan American Scientific Congress at Santiago, Chile, in 1908; directed
the Yale Peruvian expedition in 1911; made further Peruvian explorations
under the auspices of Yale University and the National Geographic Society
1912-1915.

Captain of Headquarters Company, Tenth Field
Artillery, Connecticut National Guard, in 1916; became an aviator in the
spring of 1917; organized the United States Schools of Military Aeronautics
in May 1917; commissioned major, Aviation Section, Signal Corps, June 6,
1917; promoted to lieutenant colonel October 25, 1917; commanded the flying
school at Issoudun, France, from August to December 1918.

Alternate at large to the Republican National
Conventions in 1916 and 1920 and delegate at large in 1924, 1928, 1932,
and 1936; presidential elector on the Republican ticket of Hughes and Fairbanks
in 1916; Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut 1922-1924; elected Governor
of Connecticut on November 4, 1924; elected as a Republican to the United
States Senate on December 16, 1924, to fill the vacancy caused by the death
of Frank B. Brandegee in the term ending March 3, 1927; reelected in 1926
and served from December 17, 1924, to March 3, 1933.

Appointed a member of the President's Aircraft
Board by President Coolidge on September 12, 1925, and served until its
final report in December 1925; unsuccessful candidate for reelection to
the United States Senate in 1932; engaged in banking and literary work
in Washington, D.C.; during World War II lectured at naval training schools
in 1942 and 1943; died in Washington, D.C. June 6, 1956."

Aaron Burr -
Vice-President and Controversial Figure

Aaron Burr, is NOT a Backus (that I know of, anyway). He was in
the Edwards line that is shared by some Backus branches. Those Backuses
who are descendants of various related Edwards / Backus marriages are his
cousins on the Edwards side. Jonathon Edwards, the famous preacher, was
Aaron Burr's maternal grandfather.

Aaron Burr, in older histories, is treated as a villain. Up to the
time of the duel, he had been:

Revolutionary War leader.

Accomplished politician.

Lost to Thomas Jefferson for president by only one vote.

Killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, threatened with murder charges.
Political career ruined as a result, if it wasn't already at an end (which
is what he probably thought anyway and probably contributed to the duel.)
Mysterious goal of establishing a "separate" country in the southwest,
similar to Austin of Texas, tried for treason, found innocent.

However, modern historians seem to be doing a double-take on Aaron
and that he really was a "good ole boy". And, that Alexander Hamilton wasn't
exactly the saint previously depicted by previous historians.

This is Aaron Burr's Edwards lineage. Note that Agnes Harris is the
same Agnes Harris who was the widow of William Spencer of Hartford, Conn,
so those folks share a bunch of half cousins in this family. Note that
he is a grandson of Jonathan Edwards (The Great Awakening) and a first
cousin of Eli Whitney's wife.

Benjamin Silliman
Church - Original Surveyor of Central Park, Chief
Engineer of New York Aqueduct

Benjamin Silliman Church is a double Backus descendant. See
his lineage under Jonathon Trumbull's wife later in this page.
(Eunice (Backus) Trumbull - his great-grandmother.)

"CHURCH, Benjamin Silliman, engineer, was born at Belvidere, Allegheny
county, N.Y., April 17, 1836; son of John B. and Marie Trumbull (Silliman)
Church, and great-grandson of John B. Church, a member of parliament in
England, who came over with Lafayette, served with the French army, was
commissary general in the Revolutionary war, and was married to Angelica,
daughter of Gen. Philip Schuyler, and sister of Mrs. Alexander Hamilton.
The mother of Benjamin Silliman Church was the daughter of Prof. Benjamin
Silliman of Yale, and granddaughter of Jonathan Trumbull ("Brother Jonathan").

Benjamin S. Church was graduated at the Chandler school of science
and the arts, Dartmouth college, in 1856, and entered upon the profession
of civil engineering. He was employed for a time on the New Haven railroad,
then in making the original topographical survey of Central park, and later
was appointed topographical engineer of the hydrographic survey of the
Croton river and basin. He was afterward placed in charge of the Croton
aqueduct as resident engineer. This position he held continuously until
1883 when he was appointed chief engineer designing and constructing the
new aqueduct of New York city. Excepting for a short period during the
civil war, when in the army as captain in the 12th New York regiment, and
as topographical engineer in the army of the Potomac, he was connected
with the water supply of New York until 1889. He received the degree of
M.S. from Dartmouth college in 1884."

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans:
Volume II

James Dwight Dana is NOT a Backus descendant, he married one and
his descendants are Backus descendants. See the lineage
of his wife's grandmother, Eunice Backus. By the way, she and James
Dana were aunt and uncle of Benjamin Church, above.

"Dana, James Dwight, geologist, was born in Utica, N.Y., Feb. 12,
1813; son of James and Harriet (Dwight), grandson of George and Elizabeth
(Parks), great-grandson of Caleb and Phebe (Chandler), and grandnephew
of the Rev. James Dana (1735-1812).

He was graduated from Yale in 1833; was mathematical instructor of
midshipmen in the U.S. navy afloat, 1833-35; assistant in chemistry to
Professor Silliman at Yale, 1836-37; sailed with Captain Wilkes in the
sloop-of-war Peacock on the U.S. exploring expedition as mineralogist and
geologist, 1838-42, and then was employed for thirteen years by the government
in studying and classifying the mineralogical, geological and zoological
material brought home from the Southern and Pacific oceans. The results
appeared in "Report on Zoophytes" (1846); "Report on the Geology of the
Pacific, etc." (1849); and "Report on Crustacea" (1852-54), four quarto
volumes with folio atlases, published by the government.

He became Silliman professor of geology, natural history and mineralogy
at Yale in 1850, the title of the chair being changed in 1864 to that of
geology and mineralogy. He was made professor emeritus in 1894. From 1846
until his death he was an editor of the American Journal of Science. His
services to science were recognized by leading foreign academies and societies,
which elected him to membership or awarded to him medals of honor beyond
those awarded any other individual scientist in the world, and including
the Wollaston gold medal by the Geological society of London.

He was married in 1844 to Henrietta Frances, third daughter of Prof.
Benjamin and Harriet (Trumbull) Silliman. Their children were, Frances
H., who married George D. Coil of Norwich, Conn., Edward S., who became
professor of physical science in Yale, Arnold Guyot, connected with the
Financial Chronicle, New York city, and Maria Trumbull.

He was a charter member of the National academy of science in the
United States; president of the American association for the advancement
of science, 1854-55; honorary member of the American philosophical society,
and received the Copley gold medal of the Royal society of London, sharing
the honor with Count Rumford, Franklin and Agassiz, the only other Americans
so honored. He received the degree of LL.D. from Amherst in 1853; that
of Ph.D. from the University of Munich in 1872, and that of LL.D. from
Harvard in 1886 and from Edinburgh in 1889.

Apart from contributions to periodical publications and to the proceedings
of scientific societies, Professor Dana's published works include, besides
the four volumes issued by the U.S. government: A System of Mineralogy
(1837, 6th ed., 1892); Manual of Mineralogy (1848, 4th ed., 1887); Coral
Reefs and Islands (1872, 2d ed., 1890); Manual of Geology (1863, 4th ed.,
1895); Textbook of Geology (1864, 4th ed., 1883); The Geological Story
Briefly Told (1875); Characteristics of Volcanoes with Contributions of
Facts and Principles from the Hawaiian Islands (1890) ; Genesis and Science
(1890); On the Four Rocks of the New Haven Region, with Walks and Drives
About New Haven (1891).

He was graduated at Yale in 1740, received his M.A. degree in 1744
and was admitted to the practice of law in 1746. He was a state legislator
by repeated elections between 1747 and 1762, and projected and promoted
the establishment of a Connecticut colony in Pennsylvania, 1753-55. He
served as lieutenant-colonel of a regiment sent from Connecticut to reduce
Crown Point, N.Y., in August, 1755, and was colonel of a regiment in the
expedition against Canada in 1758. He was an assistant to the governors
of Connecticut, 1762-84, and went to England in 1763, to get from the crown
confirmation of title to lands selected by the Connecticut colony in the
Wyoming region. He was the first of the commissioners sent to the stamp-act
congress from Connecticut. In 1764 he withdrew from the governor's council
rather than aid in enforcing the stamp act. He was associate judge of the
superior court, 1766-89, and chief justice, 1789-93. He was a delegate
to congress from Connecticut, 1774-79 and 1780-83, a member of the state
committee of safety, 1775-76, and declined an appointment as brigadier-general
of militia in December, 1776. Harvard conferred upon him the honorary degree
of A.M. in 1744 and Yale gave him that of LL.D. in 1787.

He died in Windham, Conn., May 13, 1807.

The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans:
Volume III

Jonathan Edwards
- Revivalist, Preacher, Philosopher, Theologian

Jonathan Edwards was NOT a Backus. But his Edwards kin married Backuses
in at least two places, maybe more; including his sister, Eunice who married
Simon Backus. And a cousin of his dad's, Hannah Edwards, married Joseph
Backus, Jr. So, those Backuses who are also Edwards descendants are cousins
to him.

The "Great Awakening", beginning about 1735, had a tremendous effect
on America. It was the period during which New England started to shed
its shackles from Puritanism, and the other protestant denominations started
to come into their own, including Methodists and the Baptists. This was
the time of revivals and evangelism. This period was not just regional,
it was contagious and turned the "nation" (this is pre-Revolution) into
a frenzy.

Jonathan Edwards, preacher, revivalist, philosopher, theologian,
writer had as much to do with the beginnings of the Great Awakening as
any other person, but he started with the opposite approach of what the
eventual impact of the Great Awakening turned out to be. He wanted to "renew"
the people into the old Puritan faith. But, he wanted folks to still be
members of the church only if they followed the "old" rules, which led
him to being rejected by his own congregation. Eunice Backus, an
elderly spinster, spent time in jail because she refused to pay her taxes
to the church (back then, Puritan financial support was part of the government.)

The effect of this beginning of the Great Awakening to renew the
Puritan experience backfired, however, as the folks who were ready to shed
the strict Puritan rules were ready and willing to "jump ship" to the Baptists
and Methodists. No longer would communities expel neighbors from their
midst because they were not "Christian" enough, in thought or deed. The
separation of church and state became more and more distinct. Churches
opened their doors to anyone wanting to join, not just those who met certain
criteria. This period lasted for at least twenty years, and the effects
were felt even longer as some communities were torn apart by their religious
differences.

General
/ President Ulysses S. Grant - Cousin
to Backuses who are also Huntington's

Ulysses S. Grant is NOT a Backus descendant. However, he is a descendant
of Christopher Huntington and also John Lathrop. There were several marriages
of Huntington's and Lathrops to Backuses in the early days in Connecticut,
so there will be several lines of Backus-Huntington descendants, as well
as Backus - Lathrop descendants, who are cousins to Ulysses. (My ancestry
to Ulysses is through George Partridge and Stephen Tracy, as well as John
Lathrop, but not through the Huntingtons). See my Ulysses
S. Grant Page.